The tactile thickness of the lip and weight of a glass can modulate sensory perception of tea beverage

Abstract

Perceptions of beverage receptacles can influence taste/aroma/texture judgments of their contents (sensation transference). Numerous studies have reported sensation transference for the haptic dimension of receptacles. This study is the first to manipulate the thickness of the lip of glass receptacles to investigate sensory transfer in the evaluations of the drinks contained therein. Even with identical green tea contents, thick-lipped, heavy glasses enhanced the perceptions of sweetness compared to thin-lipped, light glass, while thin glass enhanced perceptions of bitterness compared to thick glass. However, these results were obtained only when thick-lipped glass had a natural weight. Our results reflect sensation transference from haptics to taste, where the taste of green tea was enhanced by the thick glass lip via associations between thickness/roundness and taste/aroma/texture. In summary, our results suggest that glass lip thickness and weight modulate the taste of green tea, indicating that only manipulating the tactile qualities of the stimuli provides a preferable drinking experience of individuals, even with the same beverage.